10 years ago I gave up meat!!
Just said goodbye. I was done with it.
But I had no idea how to eat.
I have been plant based since then.
At first a junk food vegan (potato chips anyone?), off and on vegetarian where cheese was life, and now a simple whole foods plant based (WFPB) diet.
Listen to this, removing meat from my life completely changed how my body functioned. My digestion was better, I had more energy, my skin was better, I just FELT better. I did this for my health. I was a nutrition major, I knew the data. And I certainly was a fan of decreasing animal cruelty and lowering greenhouse emissions associated with the meat industry. But really, I did it for me.
But I’m often asked what is WFPB?
What does that mean?
Veggies
Fruit
Whole grains
Legumes
Nuts/seeds
What is it not?
*Sugar
*Processed foods *Dairy
*Meat
It is scary at first, I know that. It is very intimidating to break your eating patterns. To not know what to eat, how to order, what to buy, how to cook. But there are so many amazing resources now!!! Just look at some right here on Instagram:
@theveggiemd
@veg_md
@angie.sadeghi
@forksoverknives
@minimalistbaker
@deanornishmd
@nutrition_facts_org
@plantbasednews
And there are more. It takes effort but this is your number 1?investment - you!!! And tell me, do you want more plant based info on here?
About Diet and fertility? Pregnancy? Recipes? Meal planning? Raising veggie kids?
🌱🌱🌱
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#wfpb#plantbased#plantbaseddiet#eatmoreplants#asawoman#nutrition#fertilitydoctor#fertility#infertilityjourney#infertility#fertilityawareness#infertilitysucks#infertilityawareness#obgyn#mom#motherhood#momlife#momblogger#workingmom#doctorlife#doctor#doctormom#womeninmedicine#girlsinstem#atx#austin#atxblogger#austinwoman#girlboss

Female physician infertility.
This is such an important topic that I feel passionate about. I am so happy to see others talking about this, specifically @shemdgram @yoga_doc_md @melissaparsonsmd @ask_amita and more.
Here’s the thing, as physicians - we are highly educated women who are accustomed to being able to achieve dreams and goals with hard work and perseverance. That is what this life in medicine has taught us. But it is not our reality when it comes to fertility.
You’ve heard me talk about this before:
Time matters.
You deserve to understand your body.
Infertility does not discriminate.
There should be no shame to having trouble conceiving.
We need to talk about our struggles in order to empower others, to help remove the stigma, and to support our fellow women.
A study in the Journal of Women’s Health in 2016 reported that over 24% of female physicians had infertility, which is much higher than the national average (15%). And the average age of first pregnancy was 7.4 years later. None of this surprises me.
But what I find alarming is the differences in female physician knowledge about fertility and infertility treatment success rates. At older reproductive ages (over 40), most female physicians felt like IVF had an estimated 33.8% chance of pregnancy.
It is much lower.
Chance of a live birth with the most recent SART IVF data (2015): < 35: 53%
35-37: 40%
38-40: 26%
41-42: 12% >42: 4%
Let those numbers sink in.
This is a huge knowledge gap.
This is a problem.
This is what we can change.
We need to empower ourselves and each other with knowledge about our bodies, our fertility, and our struggles.
We must talk openly about our struggles as physicians because others are struggling. Others think they are alone. Others feel this struggle as a failure. And failure is hard. We are #strongertogether
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#asawoman#womensupportingwomen#fertilitydoctor#fertility#infertilityjourney#infertility#fertilityawareness#infertilitysucks#infertilityawareness#IVF#obgyn#mom#motherhood#momlife#momblogger#workingmom#doctorlife#doctor#doctormom#womeninmedicine#girlboss

If you want to get pregnant you need to figure out when to have intercourse.
Normal sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract for at least 3-5 days, but an egg is only able to be fertilized for 12-24 hours after ovulation. Most pregnancies result from intercourse in the 5 day interval ending on the day of ovulation.
So, understanding WHEN you ovulate is key.
First, you should have regular, predictable menstrual cycles. If your cycles are irregular, don’t waste time. Go see your OBGYN or REI right away.
Second, if you are tracking with a calendar the first day of bleeding (not spotting) is cycle day 1. Ovulation typically occurs 2 weeks BEFORE your expected period. So if your cycles are 28 days, then 28-14=14 and you would have an estimated ovulation date of cycle day 14. Thus, the window for intercourse is the 5 day window ending on ovulation date (cycle days 10-14 in this example). Third, If you want to further confirm ovulation you can monitor basal body temperature (BBT) or check ovulation predictor kits (OPKs). For BBT, take your temperature (with a specific thermometer) each morning and a 0.4-0.8 degree increase is seen about 2 days AFTER ovulation (due to an increase in progesterone). Thus, the best time for intercourse is the 7 day window ending on the day of temperature rise.
OPKs are urine tests which check the LH surge that causes ovulation. These strips are checked daily around the same time (ideally 10am-2pm) because the LH surge starts in the morning but takes time to get to your urine. OPKs are positive the day BEFORE ovulation. Ovulation typically occurs 14-26 hours after detection of the LH surge. Thus, the window for intercourse is the 5 day window ending on the day after the OPK. And the single best time for intercourse would be the day after a positive OPK.
But sometimes “timed intercourse” puts a lot of stress on when to have sex and can be overwhelming. Simply having intercourse 2-3 times per week when you are trying to conceive will likely put sperm in the right place at the right time.
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#knowyourbody#ttc#fertility#fertilitydoctor#fertilityawareness#doctor#ovulation#asawoman

THANK YOU (and more about me). I’m humbled that over 50k of you have joined me on this journey. I’m here because of you. I believe in community, I believe we are stronger together, and I believe that as a woman we each face unique challenges trying to blend a highly productive career and motherhood. Please note: I didn’t say balance, I said blend. Thank you all for supporting me in my dreams and sharing your life with me. So I’m sharing more about me with you:
1. I’m Natalie.
2. I’m a reproductive endocrinology and infertility physician (REI). This means I completed med school, an obgyn residency (4 years), and an REI fellowship (3 years). 3. I practice in Austin, TX. Born in Dallas, moved a lot, raised in GA, and lived in Austin for part of med school and my hubby is an Austinite. #keepaustinweird
4. I did an intern year in EM before switching to OBGYN. It’s ok to change paths. I’m very transparent on the why: I loved EM, but I wanted more continuity with my patients and I loved women’s health.
5. I have 2 kiddos (age 3&4) - I had them both in fellowship after struggling with infertility, pregnancy loss and an ectopic pregnancy. I know how hard it is to live in that space uncertain if your dreams will come true.
6. I’ve been married to my hubby for 12 years. We started dating at 21 at a @patgreenmusic concert and he has always supported my dreams. We got married in med school. He is a pharmD.
7. I’ve been plant based for 10 years. I truly believe that what we eat matters.
8. I love the color pink, lipstick, heels, curled hair, T.Swift, Legally Blonde, the Sound of Music, George Strait, and coffee.
9. I’m starting a podcast this month. Super excited. Super nervous. That must mean I’m pushing in the right direction.
10. This space exists to educate women about fertility and to empower them to chase their dreams. This community is amazing. Success is celebrated, and it is inspiring. 🖤 So please: tell me something about you. Who you are, what you like, where you come from, what you dream of becoming, why you are in this space with me.
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#asawoman#womensupportingwomen#fertilitydoctor#fertility#doctormom#girlboss

Women in medicine (really all young professional women), go read the article linked in stories: “I spent my fertile years training to become a surgeon. Now, it may be too late for me to have a baby.” This entire platform is built on this. The pressure on when to have children is crazy, and you can’t balance all these expectations and come out on top by ignoring your family planning goals. You deserve to become educated about YOUR fertility. Just look at the things young women in medical training are told ALL the time.
As a woman, I have personally been told:
Don’t have kids now.
You haven’t had kids yet?
Don’t you want kids?
Your kids will never see you.
You won’t be a good doctor and mother.
Your training will suffer if you have kids.
Who will raise your kids?
You are taking birth control, right?
Are you going to quit after having kids?
Do you want more kids?
Having more kids won’t be fair to the kids you have since you work so much.
It’s hard to have kids in private practice.
If you take off more than 5 weeks you will have to graduate late from training.
It’s no fair to your co-residents or co-fellows for you to take off more time.
Your infertility patients will not want you to be their doctor if you are pregnant.
And there’s more. What have you been told??? But these examples are real and show us how much pressure and outside influence women have placed on them when it comes to childbearing. And the stakes are high. Having a job you love is wonderful. Being a mother is wonderful. You can have both, but not if you ignore your goals. If you are delaying childbearing for your training (or any reason), then good for you! But be aware of your fertility, consider freezing eggs, or be open to alternative plans for parenthood if your time runs out. Time does run out. 🖤
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#asawoman#eggfreezing#womensupportingwomen#fertilitydoctor#fertility#infertilityjourney#infertility#fertilityawareness#ttc#IVF#obgyn#mom#motherhood#momlife#momblogger#workingmom#doctorlife#doctor#doctormom#womeninmedicine#girlsinstem#atx#austin#atxblogger#austinwoman#girlboss

As a woman.
#asawoman in medicine, in law, in business, in tech, in entrepreneurship, in school, in motherhood, in friendship, in life.
I’ve been *inspired* by you all this past year. You have challenged me and shown me some of the best and worst things we experience as women.
I’m am for equality. In fact, I have searched for it for years. Climbed my way up by fighting for it and trying to prove I was strong enough and tough enough to fit into any boys club. At times I have ignored or brushed aside discrimination, tolerated harassment, and settled for treatment less than I deserve in order to not cause drama. I worked towards the goals of others and perhaps cared too much about pleasing people for my own good. At times I tried to hide who I was, what I loved, what I dreamed of, in order to fit in with expectations.
And so: enough.
It has been enough.
We deserve better.
We can do better.
Here is what I learned: I thought I was alone. But you shared your stories. Your stories of discrimination, harassment, inequality or inappropriate treatment as women with dreams, goals, and aspirations (they are saved under the story highlight, feel free to DM more and I’m still sharing). Your stories inspire. Acknowledgment leads to understanding.
But what I’m done with, what I’m over, is the mean girl mentality: the “I survived this and to prove yourself you deserve to suffer too.”
Nope.
Done.
Over.
When WE, as women, are the ones holding other women back - we lose the game. Friends, we are a sisterhood, a tribe, we can accomplish so much more together. Let’s help pull each other to the top. Let’s foster a community of collaboration over jealousy and competition. Let’s celebrate the success of the women around us. Let’s show the world that 2019 is really the #yearofthewoman - and the year we prove that together we are a force unstoppable. Join me in sharing your stories, inspire the tribe. Let’s be #strongertogether 🖤